The Counselor Education Program at Portland State University currently uses five admission criteria to determine the acceptance or rejection of applicants. These criteria include letters of reference, a panel interview, a writing sample, the applicant's undergraduate GPA (UGPA), and the applicant's score on either the MAT or the GRE. Scores on these measures are adjusted and combined to create a single total score upon which admission decisions are based. The present study attempts to evaluate the validity of these admission criteria in predicting success in the Counselor Education Program at Portland State University. For the purpose of this study, student success was defined in terms of both the GPA upon graduation from the program and ratings of student clinical counseling skills by program faculty. The subjects were graduates of the program who had been admitted between the years 1988 and 1991. Information collected for analysis included scores on the admission criteria and GPA upon graduation, age at admission, counseling specialization, and gender. A questionnaire was then developed which asked the program faculty to rate the students' clinical counseling skills. An analysis of the correlation between scores on the admission criteria and scores on the outcome criteria (graduate GPA and clinical skills score) was performed using the SPSS Statistical Package. Regression analysis showed that among the admission criteria only the MAT score significantly determined success on the outcome criteria. Gender was inversely predictive of graduate GPA (i.e., being female correlated with higher graduate GPA). Further research, using alternative measures of counseling skill, is indicated. These results suggest the need for such research, and for further evaluation of the current admission criteria.

Students are referred to alternative schools such as the Disciplinary Alternative Education Program (DAEP) for violations against the student code of conduct. Students who are referred and attend DAEPs are more likely to make failing grades and drop out of school permanently. However, a lack of understanding existed about why some students repeatedly receive referrals to the DAEP.The purpose of this case study was to gain an understanding about why some students are repeatedly being sent to the DAEP in a school district in north central Texas. The conceptual framework was based on Catalano and Hawkins' social development theory which posited that through consistent socialization, children learn prosocial or antisocial behavior patterns from the social units to which they are bonded. In this study, 14 purposefully selected classroom teachers participated in one-on-one conversational interviews to explore teachers' perceptions about why some students are repeatedly sent to the DAEP. Inductive analysis was used for coding and identifying emerging concepts, themes, and events. Six major themes emerged from analysis of the data: school structure, classroom/behavior management, class size, student labeling, extracurricular activities, and teacher-student relationships. The results illustrate the need for changes to disciplinary policies, new transition procedures, and improved staff training. This study may contribute to positive social change by suggesting strategies that schools could use to decrease the number of referrals to the DAEP. In turn, by decreasing the number of referrals school failure and dropout rates would decrease and as a result enable youth to eventually become productive members of society.

This study was conducted to determine the impact of nutrition edu cation on participants of the Supplemental Food Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) and the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP). The specific objectives were to: 1) determine the impact of participation in EFNEP on iron status as assessed by hematocrit (hct) and ferritin levels; 2) determine the effect of nutrition knowledge on hct and ferritin values; and 3) determine the effect dietary behavior has on hct and ferritin levels for both WIC and EFNEP participants. Each study participant completed a 24-hour dietary recall record plus food frequency record, medical history, validated nutrition knowledge test, and finger stick blood sample prior to program enrollment or nutrition education, and again six months later. There were 42 WIC, 26 EFNEP, 23 WIC-control, and 23 EFNEP-control participants. Paired t-tests were used to find differences between preprogram and postprogram evaluation scores for the variables of nutrition knowledge score, hematocrit level, ferritin level, and levels of several nutrients. Nutrition knowledge test scores increased significantly from preprogram to postprogram for both WIC and EFNEP participants (14.2 ± 3.27 to 15.5 ± 2.89 for WIC, 14.2 ± 3.77 to 15.6 ± 2.79 for EFNEP). EFNEP participants also increased significantly in hct levels (38.5% ± 3.78 to 40.7% ± 2.13). Hematocrit levels did not change significantly for the WIC or control groups and nutrition knowledge did not increase for the control group between preprogram and postprogram evaluations. Mean intakes of vitamin A, vitamin c, calcium, and protein were above the RDA at preprogram and postprogram evaluations, yet the percentage of individual participants who consumed less than 67% of the RDA in this study was higher than in the continuing survey of Food Intake of Individuals - 1985. Improvement in nutrient intake at postprogram evaluations was encouraging. Regression analysis indicated that nutrition education classes in college, income level, and level of formal education each had a positive effect on nutrient intake and nutrition knowledge.

Physical restraint use and falls are common in institutional care of old people and various attempts have been made to reduce their occurrence. Falls and concomitant injuries are a major problem due to their negative effect on morbidity and mortality. Prevention of falls and injuries is the most common reason for physically restraining old people in institutional care. Its use has, however, been questioned both from an ethical perspective, since restraints can be perceived as coercive and also because of the lack of sound evidence of their effectiveness in preventing falls, as well as the adverse effects associated with their use. The main purposes of this thesis were to investigate differences in the us of physical restraints over time, to identifify risk factors for falls among people with dementia, to evaluate the effects of a restraint minimization program on staff knowledge, attitudes, and work environment and use of physical restraints and the quality of care. The present thesis is based on three main data collections, two census surveys conducted within institutional care for old people in the county of Västerbotten in 2000 (n=3,804) and 2007 (n=2,970) and one cluster-Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) including 40 group dwellings for people suffering from dementia where the intervention consisted of staff education. The use of physical restraints increased slightly between 2000 and 2007 (16.2% to 18.4%, p=0.016). Analyses suggest that the increase might be independent of any change in resident characteristics. Restrained residents were also subjected to restraints for longer times in 2007. During a six-month follow-up 64/160 (40.0%) residents in group dwellings for those with dementia sustained at least one fall. Independent risk factors for falls were ‘requiring help with hygiene’, ‘displaying verbally disruptive/attention-seeking behavior’, ‘able to rise from a chair’, ‘walking with assistive devices’, and ‘participating in outdoor walks’, which explained 36.1% of the falls. The majority of the 191 falls were un-witnessed, 35% occurred during the night and anxiety and confusion were the most common symptoms preceding the falls. A six-month restraint minimization program showed a positive impact on staff knowledge, attitudes and work environment as well as on the use of physical restraints and subjectively estimated quality of care. Residents in the intervention group present throughout the entire study period had lower odds, relative to the residents in the control group of being physically restrained at follow-up (OR= 0.21, CI 95%=0.08-0.57) after controlling for potential confounders and the cluster effect. Adjusted analyses including all residents present at either baseline or follow-up also showed that the use of physical restraints was less in the intervention group relative to the control group at follow-up. There was no change in the occurrence of falls or use of psychoactive drugs. The intervention also reduced stress of conscience, job demands and strain in the staff, and improved their job control and the caring climate. Subgroup analysis indicated a greater effect in units where the use of physical restraints had been reduced or remained constant. In conclusion, physical restraint use and falls remains common in institutional care of old people. The practice of physical restraint seems to have changed. In the RCT it was found that it is possible to change restraint practice and also to improve staff work environment. Falls among residents with dementia require a certain mobility function and anxiety and confusion are common symptoms preceding falls.

La integración de la población inmigrante que reside en la Región de Murcia, pasa por la puesta en marcha de planes municipales integrales que impliquen la acción coordinada de todos las entidades involucradas en este proceso: Administraciónes Central, Autonómica y Local, ONG's, sindicatos, etc...,con la atención preferente a los colectivos de mujeres y de menores inmigrantes. / The integration of the immigrants who live in the Region of Murcia needs to set up integral municipal plans which have to include all the institutions that are implicate in this process: Central, Autonomic and Local Administrations, Trade Unions, ONG's, etc. With special attention to the immigrant groups of women and children.

Schools are facing an increasing pressure to deal effectively with students' problem behaviors in the school environment. Research suggests that Behavior Monitoring Programs (BMPs) are effective and efficient secondary interventions to use in remedying problem behavior in the classroom and are acceptable to teachers, parents, and students. Most of the research on BMPs has been conducted at the elementary school level. The current study investigated the effectiveness of a BMP within a school-wide system of Positive Behavior Support (PBS) with three suburban high school students. Problem behaviors for each student were targeted based upon previous office discipline referral data (ODR) and teacher comments, and three behavioral goals were made for students based upon these findings, along with teacher input. Effectiveness of the intervention was measured by the increase in teacher's behavioral ratings on the Daily Behavior Report Card (DBRC). Furthermore, teachers, parents and students rated the intervention's effectiveness via a five-item intervention acceptability questionnaire. Results of the study suggest that the BMP intervention is both effective and acceptable for use with secondary students. All students experienced an increase in behavioral ratings on the DBRC during intervention. Across all students and all behaviors, the intervention resulted in an overall mean improvement of 63% in problem behaviors in the classroom. Average effect sizes were large while probability levels were low. Furthermore, all teachers, parents, and students rated the intervention as being acceptable. The average rating that all parents gave for all five items (on a 6 point scale with higher numbers indicating greater acceptability) was 5.2, while the average for students was 4.3. The student's teachers together rated all five items as 4.8.

A large number of English language learners (ELLs) in secondary school are long-term ELLs who have attended public schools in the United States for at least seven years, having received English language support services, yet have not acquired English proficiency (Capps, Fix, Murray, Ost, Passel, & Herwantoro., 2005). Formal or informal programs and educational services to address the particular needs of long-term ELLs are scant to non-exist (Zehr, 2010). In spite of the growing presence of long-term ELLs in secondary schools, little research has been conducted about their academic challenges. Due to the scarcity of research, effective practices for long-term ELLs in secondary school are very limited (Ruix-de-Velasco & Fix, 2000). Research is needed to better understand risk factors associated with dropping out, retention, and the high incidence of disproportionate representation of long-term ELLs in special education programs. Equally absent from available literature are the voices of students themselves. This study aims to expand the existing database about long-term ELLs' academic challenges from the perspective of students themselves about their language and academic learning experiences. A qualitative, naturalistic inquiry (NI) approach was utilized to explore the perceptions of long-term ELLs about their learning experiences in the context of their school history, including program placements, special education referral, and academic outcomes. Thirteen long-term ELLs at a high school in metropolitan area of Texas were participated in this study. Data were generated from semi-structured, in-depth interviews and various documents, including students' cumulative folders, language proficiency assessment records, and the state assessment data, and analyzed using a grounded theory approach. The findings of the study indicate that participants experienced multiple layers of lack of opportunity to learn as they moved through the educational process. Participants perceived themselves as English-proficient, motivated learners who were successful in spite of challenges they had experienced, which they attributed mainly to their limited development of academic language proficiency in English. The study also revealed a gap between participants' postsecondary aspirations and the reality of their academic underachievement, which raises questions about the adequacy of general educational programs for this population and appropriate identifications of ELLs with disabilities. / text

Mémoire numérisé par la Division de la gestion de documents et des archives de l'Université de Montréal

Problem behaviors in the school setting have become more frequent as well as challenging for teachers and faculty to decrease while attempting to help their students attain their academic goals. Within the last decade, school-wide positive behavior support (SWPBS) has become more widespread as an evidence-based practice within the school system. SWPBS uses a multi-tiered support structure in order to affect behavior change across an entire school population. Several common secondary interventions have been utilized with high success rates. However, the research conducted thus far using the Check-In/Check-Out (CICO) program, a secondary intervention, has shown a lesser degree of success in behavior change with those students whose problem behavior is maintained by negative reinforcement or escape from aversive tasks. The current study examined the effects of the CICO program, adapted to address negative reinforcement contingencies. Using a multiple baseline across participants design, students in this study were exposed to a modified CICO intervention strategy in which problem behaviors, specifically related to the escape function as determined by a routine analysis, were targeted for reduction while academic engagement were targeted for acquisition. Results provided reductions in problem behaviors and an overall increase in academic engagement across participants with teacher implementers indicating the modified CICO program as feasible and acceptable. Implications for future research are discussed.

本研究旨在以活動理論為分析架構，探究家長參與研究者自編「家長手作方案」課程的過程中，學習社群的變化以及產生矛盾現象之原因，最後提供解決方式，做為日後親職教育課程之參考。 本研究以台灣北部某私立幼兒園四位家長為研究對象，採行動研究方法。歷經三個月共九次課程之實驗。根據活動理論中的七個組成要素，包含主體（subject）、目標（object）、社群（community）、工具（tools）、規則（rules）、分工（division of labor）以及結果展現（outcome），分析「幼兒親職教育方案」在活動系統中展現與實施之歷程，以及過程中所遇到之矛盾現象。 本研究資料蒐集透過課程觀察記錄、實際課程運作情況、LINE網路社群對話紀錄以及訪談資料，並採用MAXQDA軟體進行分析，透過持續進行資料與概念的比較，找出核心概念，最後總結出研究的結果。經過資料蒐集、分析與詮釋，研究發現如下: 一、「家長手作方案」活動系統各要素環環相扣、相互交織，能系統性解 決活動進行中的矛盾現象，讓課程得以順利進行、有效落實親職教 育。 二、「家長手作方案」對家長學習之影響，包含家長手作特性、親子互動 模式以及家長在學習過程中自我的轉變等變化，透過本方案有效改變 家長落實親職教育之態度。 三、親職教育的新角度-以學習社群介入親職教育，不僅增加成員間的凝 聚力與認同感，更有效提升成員的學習成效。 四、透過網路學習社群的輔助，與教學虛實合一，能促進家長的交流與課 外聯繫，提升家長的學習效能。 透過活動理論發現，以學習社群方式進行親職教育，有助於提升家長親職效能、情緒抒發與經驗分享；運用網路學習社群的輔助，建立成員間更深厚的凝聚力與認同感，彼此鼓勵與支持，在教育孩子路上攜手結伴同行。 / Using activity theory as a structure, the purpose of this study was to investigate the change and the reasons of conflicts occur during the parents engaged in the “hands-on project” curriculums developed by researcher. The solutions were provided as references for future parental education curriculum development. Participants are four parents of a private kindergarten in northern Taiwan. This research is an action research. Within three months, there are total nine times of courses. According to activity theory, there are seven elements including subject, object, community, tools, rules, division of labor and outcome. Using these elements, this study analyze the presentation, process and problems showed during “early childhood parental education program”. The data included observation of the classroom when the courses were given, the conversation record on an instant messenger called “Line”, and the record of interview. With MAXQDA as an analysis tool, the data were compared over and over until the main concepts were clear enough. The results showed that: 1.The elements in “early childhood parental education program” were linked with others so that it could solve the contradiction during the activities systematically. 2.The influences of “early childhood parental education program” included the change of parents’ handwork habits, the model parents interact with their child and the self-development during the learning process. Through this project, the attitudes of parents toward childhood parental education have been changed. 3.This new way –learning community in parental education— not only gains the members’ sense of identification to the group but helps them learn more efficiently. 4.With the web-based learning community after school can promote the interaction between parents, also facilitate the learning efficiency of parents. Overall, through activity theory and using learning community in parental education could raise parents’ parental efficiency, release their emotion and share experiences with each other in the group. With web-based learning community can gather the group members and construct their sense of recognition to the group. Thus, the group members can help with each other and conquer difficulty in the process of education.